BOOKS BY PEOPLE WITH AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDERS

lucy hale diet

Lucy hale diet

Despite what Tony Attwood says in the introduction to Lucy’s Story(1999), Lucy’s book is not the first nor the only book by a person who has never used speech. In fact, the apparent first *ever* book by an autistic person was called Understand: Fifty Memowriter Poems(1985), by David Eastham [of Ottawa, Canada], who never used speech. Other books, published by 1999 by people who had not used speech are Forever Friends (David Eastham, 1990), A Child of Eternity (Adriana Rocha and Kristi Jorde, 1995, admittedly nonsensical), I Don’t Want To Be Inside Me Anymore (Birger Sellin, transl. 1995); In Dark Hours I Find My Way (Birger Sellin, transl. 1995); I Had No Means to Shout! (Charles Martel Hale Jr., 1999) Through the Eyes of Aliens by Jasmine Lee O’Neill was written in 1998 by someone who, while she has used speech, does no longer.

As to the impression that more books are published by female authors with autism than male authors:Despite appearances, there are actually both more male autistic authors out there and more books by autistic male authors. Only slightly, but still more. Books by male autistic authors are, however, more likely to be written through facilitated communication (which many people thus don’t read or hear of) and more likely to go out of print. If you factor in FC and staying in print, *then* there are more books by female autistic authors (which almost never go out of print). The problem is not one of books *existing*, but of books being widely distributed and read.

List of autistic authors and their books, sorted by gender

The authors are numbered, and their books are also numbered. It will be noticable that there are slightly more autistic male authors than autistic female authors, and slightly more books as well. This is true even if you eliminate forthcoming books and Stephen Wiltshire’s art (I included him because I think drawing is as valid a communication method as any other).

17. Liane Holliday Willey f21. Pretending To Be Normal: Living with Asperger’s Syndrome (1999) f22. Asperger Syndrome in the Family: Redefining Normal (2001) f23. Asperger Syndrome in Adolescence: Living with the Ups, the Downs and Things in Between (forthcoming)

18. Donna Williams f24. Nobody Nowhere: The Extraordinary Autobiography of an Autistic (1992) f25. Somebody Somewhere: Breaking Free from the World of Autism (1993) f26. Not Just Anything: A Collection of Thoughts on Paper (1995) f27. Like Color to the Blind: Soul Searching and Soul Finding (1996) f28. Autism – An Inside Out Approach: An innovative look at the mechanics of ‘autism’ and its developmental ‘cousins’ (1996) f29. Autism and Sensing: The Unlost Instinct (1998) f30. Exposure Anxiety – The Invisible Cage: An Exploration of Self-Protection Response in the Autism Spectrum (2002)

12. David Miedzianik m17. My Autobiography(1986) m18. Now All I’ve Got Left Is Myself (1996 is my estimate of the *latest* date probable) m19. Taking the Load off My Mind (1996 is my estimate of the *latest* date probable)

14. Jerry Newport m21. Your Life Is Not a Label: A Guide to Living Fully with Autism and Asperger’s Syndrome for Parents, Professionals and You! (2001) m22. Autism – Asperger’s and Sexuality: Puberty and Beyond (2002) – with Mary Newport